


snack

by SEpupppupp (ForNought)



Category: Produce 48 (TV)
Genre: Cube chicks, F/F, First Meeting, Piano Recital, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 20:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15871419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForNought/pseuds/SEpupppupp
Summary: Chowon is a good friend and Hyewon makes sandwiches





	snack

Chowon is a good friend, that is the only reason she is wearing this dress which is oddly constricting for its length and sitting in the plush concert hall chairs next to Guanlin. He isn’t the best seatmate and he is slouched in his seat and taking up far too much of Chowon’s legroom to be polite. Guanlin could do with being more polite about Chowon’s legroom if he insists on constantly asking her how long they have to wait until it is Seonho’s turn.

“Chowon.” Guanlin’s voice is a tad too loud and even if there aren’t that many people in the concert hall they are sitting far enough forward that the lack of volume control is disruptive to the rest of the audience. Chowon raises a finger to her lips and Guanlin at least looks like he understands before he continues speaking just as loud as before as he leans across the armrest between them. “Seonho is next, right?”

“No,” Chowon whispers back to him. “There are three more people before Seonho.”

“But we have been here for an hour already.”

They haven’t been here for that long but it certainly feels like it. Chowon thinks being here for so long is a hassle too but she tells Guanlin to be quiet and wait. Even if they have had to hear various iterations of the piece Seonho will perform over the past weeks they should still be good and listen well when it is his turn to play. They should also listen well to all the other performers at the recital but as long as Seonho doesn’t hear about their impatience he probably won’t mind too much. 

To fend off any more questions Chowon reads through the programme. She hopes he has been counting the performances properly otherwise she and Guanlin might have an even longer wait for the person they came to support. There is a blurb about how hardworking and talented all the performers are and how they all picked pieces which are important to them. Chowon doesn’t really get it but her favourite performance so far was a pianist who played something that sounded whimsical and familiar though she hasn’t been able to place the song whilst listening to the other performances. 

But then Chowon forgets what it sounds like entirely when the next performer walks on stage. Chowon is aware of Guanlin pestering her to know how long it will be before Seonho steps onstage but she can’t even bring herself to tell him to shut up. 

There’s a girl with long, straight hair which flutters as she walks slowly. She’s the sort of pretty that is always out of place. Chowon thinks that no matter the situation she would have just as much difficulty looking away from her. There’s focus from her eyes existing beside apprehension and Chowon wonders whether she can see everything in front of her despite the lights, whether she can see the rows and rows of stiff-backed chairs and the people scattered around them as the audience. Chowon wonders whether the girl on stage can see her. It’s silly and that isn’t why she’s here but she can’t help but wonder. 

The performer introduces herself to the judges in a soft voice and Chowon misses her name and what she will perform because her own odd shyness about sitting here is far louder in her ears. Chowon’s wearing an ugly dress and she had been caught in the rain on the way here and she is trying to ignore Guanlin who is too loud, but even with all of that she still wants to be noticed. 

Chowon is rapt as the pianist sits straight-backed at the piano. A swell of breath settles through her and she presses her fingers to the keys. The music isn’t anything special but Chowon suspects that has more to do with Guanlin refusing to be quiet. Chowon can hardly hear anything and she wants nothing more than for Guanlin to shut up just for a few minutes. 

The performance is over and Chowon wonders whether her clapping means anything, whether the girl on-stage even notices the appreciation Chowon is offering to the applause. She is barely aware of what she is clapping for because she couldn’t hear over the sound of Guanlin pestering her but the girl on stage went through the trouble of performing the piece for the benefit of the audience. 

Chowon claps until her hands are sore and then the girl is gone and she wonders whether there is anything impressive about herself. It doesn’t matter either way. She settles into her seat and tells Guanlin to be patient. She needs to be patient herself and listen until it is Seonho’s turn Though it seems that Seonho is next and Chowon really has been miscounting the performances anyway. She checks through the programme for the list of performers. Kang Hyewon is the girl’s name and Chowon wonders what the reaction would be like if she could say her name. 

“Chowon,” Guanlin says as he elbows her in the side too hard. “Seonho’s here.”

Seonho always looks so well composed whenever he’s performing at recitals like these. He’s a world away from the person who comes to find them in the foyer of the concert hall in a T-shirt which looks better suited to a child’s sleepwear and his mouth stuffed with bread. 

“I was great, right?” Seonho says as he walks across the marble floor to meet them. 

“You always are,” Chowon says as Guanlin is somehow more sincere with, “You were brilliant. All your practice paid off. You were the best person on that stage.”

Seonho grins and he doesn’t even seem to mind that his speech is pushing crumbs out of his mouth and down his and Guanlin’s fronts as they hug. “Are you proud enough to buy me dinner?”

Guanlin hesitates so it is up to Chowon to point out, “You’re eating right now.”

“It would be rude not to,” Seonho reasons as he sprays crumbs Chowon’s way. “One of the other students hooked us up with sandwich platters. I have another couple in my bag but the two of you could… share one if you want.”

“You won’t even give us one each?” Guanlin asks.

“I only have two sandwiches,” Seonho explains sadly. He is suddenly much less sad when he turns to the sound of his name being called softly. Chowon can’t say that she feels happy when she sees the person who approaches. She hasn’t seen her reflection for too long and she thinks maybe her hair might be frizzed up from the rain and the only thing she can stand behind to hide her ugly dress is Guanlin but she also sees this as her chance to get to meet the pretty girl who performed on stage earlier.

“Seonho, I’m glad you haven’t left already,” the girl says with a soft smile. Her eyes have an almost nervous sheen to them as she regards Chowon and Guanlin. “You must be Seonho’s friends.”

Seonho nods enthusiastically whilst taking another bite of his sandwich. “This is Guanlin and Chowon. They think I’m amazing.”

“That's true,” Guanlin says proudly. For a moment Chowon wonders whether Guanlin thinks it means something else but that probably isn't the case. 

Seonho gestures to the pretty girl and says, “This is Hyewon. She brought sandwiches.”

Hyewon smiles. There is a tinge of reservation in the expression as she says, “I play piano too. I make sandwiches and play piano.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chowon says. She feels like she is being too bold like this when he isn’t even prepared to be talking to someone like Hyewon but this is her one chance. She won’t be able to hold Hyewon’s attention for much longer and it is the refusal to squander the opportunity which has Chowon swallowing back her jitters and hoping she looks halfway decent as Hyewon meets her gaze. 

It feels worth it to have Hyewon smiling at her and and  _ talking _ to her even if she is saying, “It’s nice to meet you too. Are you really friends with Seonho? This Seonho?”

Chowon doesn’t know what would be wrong with that. Guanlin isn’t any help, grinning happily but then his friendship with Seonho isn’t being questioned. 

“We go to school together,” Chowon supplies. Hyewon nods but there is still a small question in her expression so Chowon says, “We live near each other too I guess so we get the same bus.”

“That’s nice,” Hyewon says. “You must have lots of fun together.”

“Not really,” Chowon admits. “Seonho is always getting me to let girls down gently for him.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Seonho pouts before he bites into the second sandwich. “You only had to do it once and you even volunteered.”

Chowon had volunteered but only because this poor girl had been hanging around and waxing poetic about how tall and cool Seonho was and how fantastic he looked whilst playing basketball and asking Chowon whether she knew Seonho was a piano prodigy.  She needed to put herself out of her own misery somehow. 

“I would have asked you to do it anyway,” Guanlin says helpfully. Chowon isn’t sure whether it is very helpful but it makes Hyewon laugh as she holds up the carrier bag in her hand.

“That sounds deserving of a sandwich,” Hyewon says. “Seonho, I am giving you these leftover sandwiches but you have to let Chowon have some.”

Seonho looks very disappointed with that instruction so Chowon decides to help him out. “He did well today. He can keep them all to himself.”

Hyewon blinks rapidly. Her expression is somewhere between disappointment and utter incomprehension. “You don’t want any sandwiches?”

“No thank you,” Chowon says. She thinks she’s being silly because the boldness rising in her chest is already simmering away and leaving the crumbling carbon coyness that feels oddly familiar. But she has already begun with this. “Maybe I deserve something else instead. Like a coffee.”

Hyewon’s face has decided on a lack of understanding and that’s enough confirmation that Chowon should never try to impress anyone. Then again Seonho sighs through his sandwich and says, “oh my gosh, you’re my hero, Chowon.”

“Coffee? But I can’t right now, I have to meet with some friends.”

Chowon doesn’t feel heroic at all but she supposes those three seconds of having Seonho’s admiration were worth it. Maybe. Already the feeling has worn off and she feels silly standing here unintentionally looking as much of a mess as Seonho.

She definitely seconds Seonho’s proposal to go out to eat and maybe she looks pitiful enough now that Guanlin would treat her too. But a hand takes hers and it isn’t Guanlin’s with the promise of something really expensive that Chowon would struggle to finish even with Seonho stealing more than his fair share. It is Hyewon looking maybe the most confused she has this entire exchange. 

“Give me your phone,” Hyewon requests. “We should swap numbers and make plans.”

“Sorry, Chowon, I have a new hero,” Seonho says as he reaches through the bag of wrapped sandwiches.

Chowon doesn’t mind not being Seonho’s hero anymore. The feeling had already worn off anyway. She passes her phone to Hyewon and watches as Hyewon adds a new contact and calls herself. She passes back Chowon’s phone and says, “Call me this weekend and I will save you from Seonho.”

“Only Guanlin is my hero now,” Seonho says. 

Hyewon smiles and there is no way that she cares about being demoted from Seonho’s hero so quickly. Chowon already knows that she like Hyewon’s smile but she wonders why seeing it makes her feel so shy when she has Hyewon’s phone number and hopes for something more. She can handle this much though. Chowon swallows back her shyness and smiles back. 

And then Hyewon asks Seonho to make sure he lets down people for Chowon until they can meet up over the weekend. Chowon doubts very much that Seonho would need to bother but she can’t keep herself from smiling as she watches Hyewon walk away with a small wave. 


End file.
